The Wire

Egypt could be on the verge of civil war, according to Opposition Leader Mohamed ElBaradei, as protests continue in Cairo’s Tahrir Square and in the Egyptian City of Alexandria. The unrest was sparked by President Mohamed Morsi’s decree giving himself sweeping new powers over what he describes as ‘issues of sovereignty’.

Egyptians are wary of any moves to consolidate power into one man’s hands after years of suffering under the dictatorship of Hosni Mubarak. Middle East Scholar Adel Abdel Ghafar says the army is the wild card in how the situation will play out.